Karl Rove is a former political consultant whose career culminated with the election and reelection, in 2000 and 2004, of President George W. Bush. Rove followed Bush to Washington, D.C., and served in the White House as the president's top political advisor — his actual titles were deputy chief of staff and senior advisor — from 2001 to 2007.

He's a controversial figure, credited by Republicans with much of Bush's political successes and those of the GOP in Texas over the last 30 years. Detractors cite his cutthroat tactics in elections and on behalf of Bush and other officeholders. They cite his involvement in scandals involving outed CIA operative Valerie Plame, White House email, and the sackings of several federal prosecutors.

Rove, born December 25, 1950, has been a politically active Republican since his college days, and built his consultancy as Texas slowly turned from a conservative Democratic state to a solidly Republican one. His list of former clients constitutes a virtual modern history of the GOP in Texas: Bush, Rick Perry, Kay Bailey Hutchison, John Cornyn, Bill Clements, Phil Gramm, to name some.

Texas writers Jim Moore and Wayne Slater wrote two books about Rove — Bush's Brain: How Karl Rove Made George Bush Presidential and The Architect: Karl Rove and the Dream of Absolute Power.

Rove is now a speaker, pundit and writer, and is writing his own book about his experiences, expected to be published in 2010.